HEALTH Minister Patrice Minors has been accused of neglecting the mentally challenged after reportedly backing down from a pledge to help a day care centre.

And the parent of one special needs patient insists that the Minister "lied to us from the jump" about finding a permanent home for the Orange Valley facility.

In 2003 the centre, which provides day-time care for mentally challenged adults, was forced to move from its Parsons Road location to a temporary site at St. Brendan's (now the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute).

At the time of the move, Mrs. Minors insisted that she would find a permanent and more suitable home for the facility within three months. In January 2004, she acknowledged that she had been unable to meet that deadline but that she was "still committed to finding a permanent location".

She went on to tell parents and guardians that a committee had been created to speed up the search for a permanent address.

But speaking on a radio talk show this week, the Minister reportedly went back on her word of two years ago, claiming that the temporary room was now adequate to cater to its 13 clients.

Last night Ursula Dunlop, whose 35-year-old daughter attends the facility, claimed the Minister had no interest in the plight of the mentally challenged and was ignorant of parents' concerns.

"It's like a little cubby hole," Mrs. Dunlop said.

"At first you say that you are going to relocate these kids and then you say they're fine in St. Brendan's ? that isn't progress ? it's retrogression. It's been almost three years since she first promised us a permanent location. She's now saying that she's happy with this facility, but how can she make a statement like that?"

Mrs. Dunlop added that the staff worked hard and provided excellent care ? but that the facility was simply not big enough.

"There's nowhere for them to take any exercise," she said.

Her views were backed up by Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson, who expressed anger at what she described as "another broken promise by this Government".

"They don't have a permanent home, they don't have any physiotherapy equipment, they don't have any activity stations, they are confined to one room and can't go out anywhere," Mrs. Jackson said.

"And then the Minister, speaking on a talk show, says she's satisfied with the place they're in and that it's adequate for them ? this after promising to find them a permanent home."

Mrs. Jackson visited the centre this week and said she was impressed with the staff and standards of supervision. But she rammed home her concerns about the lack of space.

"Can you imagine being confined to just one room," she said.

"Where they are now is certainly not satisfactory. The space isn't adequate for the number of clients that they have and the equipment is not there for them."

Mrs. Minors could not be contacted to respond to the concerns by press time last night.